Garage press



@alienated ug. i2, 193@ ROBERT E. MANLEY, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANA, .ASSIGNOR 'T0 MANLEY l/.LANU'FAG-l TURXNG CGMANY, GF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELATARE GARAGE PRESS Application filed September This invention relates to presses and has for its principal object the provision of a sinall sturdy, inexpensive press capable ot bending an object such as crank shaft.

A further object ot tie invention lies in the provision of a cast traine particularly suitable for a press in which the cast inetal of the traine is relieved oi' tension by ineans of a tension ineniber inserted Within the casting. l

A still further object of the present invention lies in the provision of a device for conveniently operating a raclr and pinion press so that the raclr niay be very rapidly turned to proper position to start the pressure and in Which the lever handle inay then be nioved to the most convenient position to. apply the pressure irrespective oi the location of the rack in the press traine.

In the drawings n Figure l is a side elevation of the press in its preferred torna.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken thru the center of the cast coluinn of the press.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the raclr operating nieans.

The inain press traine is a casting lO accurately plan-ed at top and bottoni to receive, respectively, two steel slabs ll forming the upper overlianging arm7 and tivo somewhat' longer slabs l2 forming the arin which is the bed of the press. The slabs or flats l2 are bolted as at lll to 'the stand i5 Which inay be of any desired construction but is preferably composed of the tour legged base illustrated.

The fra-ine as stated, consists of a single piece having a central vertical web a preterably with Weight reducing openings 16 therein and bounded on top, bottoni7 trout and ba'clr by right angular flanges 17, i8, 19, and 20, respectively; the horizontalv flanges l! and 18 being rectangular, While the front and baclr pieces are preferably shaped, pri-A inarily for clearance When incidental equipnient (not shown) is used.

The rear flange or Wall 2O is solid but the front Wall 19 has a groove 22 therein in Which preferably snugly 'ts a steel bolt 23 having a head 24 engaging a relatively heavy saddle piece 25 resting on the top edge of each of the slabs ll while the lower end ot the steel bolt is threaded to receive a nut 26 engaging a saddle nieinber 27 preferably exactly similar to the saddle 25, since the slabs ll and flats l2 are oic preferably altho not necessarily exactly the saine size.

lVhile the slabs ll are each secured to the traine by bolts 30 passing thru the integral upstanding ears 3l of the main casting l0, the entire tension stress caused by the tendency oi' the free ends of the arms 11 and l2 to be displaced Wit-h respect to each other when vthe press is in use, is borne by the steel bolt 23 which is approximately inidway between the ailes of the rack 34. and the rear flange or side 20 of the casting, so that when the raclr 3a is put under compression and the steel bolt is consequently put in tension, the casting taires compression only, this being at a niaxiinuin thru the rear side 20.

The rack 34 slides in a block 38 bolted to the slabs ll and carrying a cover plate 39 which contines the raclr 34: in the groove in the bloclr 38 so as to maintain the rack teeth in Contact With the operating pinion 40 cut on the shaft ll Which passes entirely thru the block, having at one side a handle i2 preferablyfheld in place by a set screw 43 and havingat the other end of the block a ratchet Wheel te secured to the shaft by the pin 45.

The lever has a socket 5l to receive the usnallever bar52 and carries a pivot 53 for a paivl 5st which operates the ratchet dat fast on` a shaft ll. l iind it very convenient 'to provide a paWl lock such as preferably threaded in the lever and adapted to engage the pawl in front or back to hold this paWl in engagement or out of engagement as desired when the pawl lock screw is screwed into the end'of its travel, and freeing the pawl entirely so that the pawl may act by gravity When the lock screu7 GO is inoved out of engagement. rhe tliuinb screw 62 threaded thru the front plate or cover forins a ready and convenient means for locking the rack in elevated position.

rlhe press illustrated is generally used in garages and in such case the article to be straightened is supported in the usual V- blocks Which in turn are slidably mounted ,on a pair of bars 71 bolted together to form .l a transverse support which may be adjust- Cil ably secured on the flats l2 which form the bed of the press, as `lor example, by the stud 73 carrying a hand wheel 7d threaded thereon and engaging a small cross piece 75 straddling the liats l2. The crank or other rotatable article to be straightened is indicated at 76.

The size oi work to be operated upon naturally varies within wide limits and it would be quite a bit of trouble to advance and lowel` the rack or ram by the ratchet mechanism used for the heavy leverages. rhe ram is therefore released by loosening the thumb screw 62 and lowered by hand to desired position against the work and this may very rapidly be dono by turning the small double handle 42.

lilith the pawl lock now out of engagement with the pawl the lever bar 52 is raised slightly above a horizontal position, the pawl acting solely by gravity. rlhis gives maximum conrenience 'for applying the heavy'pressure necessary to straighten an article such as an axle, and since the stroke is usually only a few degrees the lever bar can always be kept at a substantially horizontal position no matter whether the work is high or low with respect to the bed of the press.

To inspect the work the ram may be rapidly elevated and then held in raised position by the thumb screw 6:2 while the crank is being rotated on its V supports while the reading for cccentricity is taken by means of the usual instruments which may be mounted in the post 77 or i'j these instruments are located so as not to require the raising of the ram the pawl may be locked when the lever bar is in horizontal position and the ram may be raised the slight amount necessary by throwover the lever bar. By having the paw] locled it is possible to raise the ram up and down in riveting or to raise it against pressure as 'for example when a hook is applied to the lower end ot the ram for without the provision ot the pa wl lock there would be no means for raising the rack or ram aga-inst pressure, as the pawl would idle over the ratchet. A further and important use of the pawl lock is had when a bar is to be bent but where it is desired that the bar shall not be. bent bv heavy pressure or a single stroke, in srch cases the ram is brought to the proper rosition. the pawl is thrown in and locked. The work is then prfssed for a moment and *lie operator immediatelv raises the ram by the pawl leclrmjnd repeats this light quick pressing' untl the exact amount of bend is secured.

7j forwardly ot said irame, a bed secured to the bottom of said frame, and extending forwardly thereof, a tool movably mounted at the extended end of said arm and adapted to exert a tension stress on one side of said iranie and a compression stress on the other side of said trame, said arm being of metal having greater elasticity than the cast metal trame so as to yield between the tool and the trame without permanent deformation ot the arm and a member secured to said arm and to said bed and placed under tension to compress one side of said trame to relieve said side of tension strain, said member being positioned in said groove.

2. The device of claim l in which the arm is or" rolled steel, the tool is a ram, and the bed extends parallel to the arm to support the work directly under the ram.

3. rJ''he device of claim l in which the arm and the bed each consist of two steel members independently bolted to the trame, and the tension member is a steel rod engaging at each end a transverse saddle straddling the two members 01": the adjacent arm or bed, said rod paralleling one side of the frame.

a. In a. 1ness, a ram, a frame supporting said ram, a pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating said ram, means for locking said pawl to said ratchet, and means located appr Xiinately midway between. the axis of the rain and the tar side ot the trame for relieving` the near side of the Jframe from the strain incident to the use of the ram as al pressing tool. i

'5. ln a press, a rack ram, a pinion shaft, a pinion on said shatt tor operating said rack, a handwheel and a ratchet wheel each 'fast on the pinion shaft, a lever loosely mounted on said shaft, a pa-wl pivoted to said lever and engaging said ratchet, and means tor locking said pawl to said ratchet whereby movement oi" the lever in either direction will operate the rack.

6. ln a press, a cast metal frame, a pair of steel members extending forwardly from the frame and secured thereto at the top to form an upper arm, a pair of steel members bolted to the frame at the bottom and extending forwardly of the frame to form a bed, a housing secured to the free end of the upper arm, a rac r ram slidably mounted therein, a pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating said ram, means tor locking said pawl to said ratchet. a support adjustably mounted on the bed for maintaining work in position to be pressed downwardly by said rain and a steel rod binding; together said arm and said bed. parallel to the ram and located along the side of the frame proximate to the ram.l

In testimony wbereot l aiiix mv signature.

ROBERT E. MANLEY. 

